I Want My MTV

I've never been a big watcher of MTV, but these days when I happen to surf to it, it only seems things are getting worse and worse. Honestly, all they show these days is reality TV crap and hiphop videos. Didn't they use to have actual music on? (I should mention this is the Finnish version I'm speaking of... I don't know how much it differs from other regional versions...)

Even Headbanger's Ball has gone down the drain. The show used to have a presenter and guests, but now it's just videos. Which might not be bad in itself, if the videos weren't such crap. Last couple of times I've watched the show, I've seen plenty of rap and electronica. This is Headbanger's Ball, for ****'s sake! Of course it's still mostly metal, but most of it is boring nu metal and death metal... Apologies to anyone who likes that, but it just ain't my thing. Ever heard the saying "variety is the spice of life"?

On top of everything, half the screen is covered by unbelievably stupid SMS matchmaker applications. All I can say's "what's the world coming to?"

FWF

I recently discovered a Firefox extension called CustomizeGoogle. It's pretty neat. It's got all sorts of little tweaks for various Google services, but most importantly it allows you to use a fixed width font in Gmail. I can't emphasize how important this is. Variable width fonts and email simply don't go together. Why there's no option for fixed width font in Gmail by default is beyond me. Come to think of it, why variable width fonts in email services are legal in the first place is beyond me. Some things just shouldn't be tampered with.

Thirity One?

What is it with people who submit album information to CDDB and the like? Just how hard can it be to spell song titles correctly? Or pick a genre that fits even remotely to the music?

There's hardly an album I rip that I don't need to make corrections to. And with today's media players and services like Last.fm, correct tags for music files are absolutely crucial. So if you're unable to read and write, or just thick enough to think no one else can, you might bloody well consider not making others suffer from your mistakes, thank you very much.

Boycott Beijing 2008!!

For a long time I felt that, once the games had been given to China, boycott was not the right or most constructive way to protest against the situation there. But with every passing day as the games draw nearer I'm hearing reports about the actions of authorities there that are rapidly making me change my mind.

Today's paper reported that authorities are putting up lists of topics that it is forbidden to discuss with tourists. These reportedly included such things as religion and income, and even married life. Last week I read about reports, I cannot know about their truthfulness, that authorities are trying to ban blacks and mongols from entering bars during the games. Supposedly this was in order to cut down on drug trafficking and other crime.

It is obvious that China in it's current state is incapable of supporting fundamental human rights. Because these ideals of freedom and equality should go hand in hand with the Olympic games, it is clear that China does not deserve these games. Since China won't listen to protests, it's beginning to look like boycott is the only route left to take.

It's just too bad that I'm not in any kind of position for my boycotting the games to make any difference whatsoever. But I'm beginning to hope that many important figures would come to the same conclusions I have.

Of course, I don't even like sports, and wouldn't be watching the games much in any case...

Ban Price Stickers, Now!

I'm really getting fed up with price stickers on DVDs, CDs and games. Half the time they're impossible to remove without leaving nasty, sticky marks on the cover. Second hand stores are worst of all, as they tend to use cheaper, poorer quality labels. Many new products are thankfully sold in wrappers, but not all.

The covers are an important part of the whole aesthetic experience of enjoying a movie, album or game. Leaving ugly stickers on the case is not an option. Having nasty marks left behind is a nightmare, and don't even get me started on stickiness.

How these things can be legal in the first place is beyond me. And I'm not joking or exaggerating here. I'm dead serious. What retailers are thinking when they're actively destroying the products they sell is also beyond me. It sure as hell doesn't show any respect for the customer.

Someone needs to make a stand here. Stores need to change their practises. After all, the case, with its artwork, liner notes etc., is one of the main reasons to actually go out and buy a product, instead of just downloading it.